Shooting Stars
by Cherry Shimono
Summary: Under the stars... Dawn and Kenny were meant to be. Kenny x Dawn/PenguinShipping Story is a bit under-developed, sorry.


**Author's/Reika's notes:**

Hey peoplez! I'm really sorry about not being able to post a Kenny Day update for Lumière de Diamants this month, so hopefully this'll calm you down.

**Disclaimer:**

**I, ****Hermione Misty Sonezaki**, once known as Hermione Misty Drake-Owen, and **also addressed as ****Reika**** or ****Raizza****, does not, should not, and will not own the Pokémon Series, Games, or any other media franchise which is a branch of Pokémon. I do not claim ANYTHING from this fic as my own, other than original characters, as well as the plot.**

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"Morning Mom!" Dawn said brightly as she sat down on the small round table in the dining room. She took a small piece of toast and started munching on the side. She glanced at her Pokétch and saw that it was already 10 PM.

"Morning. Why are you so happy today?" Johanna asked as she spread butter on her toast.

"Don't you remember, Mom? Today's the annual Twinleaf Shooting Star Festival!" she said happily. This particular festival had been her favorite day since she was a little girl. Somewhere in the middle of summer, Twinleafeans and other tourists alike would lie down on the edge of Lake Verity and watch as millions of meteors and meteorites streaked through the night sky. Before that, they would celebrate a huge feast and party, and the shooting stars would serve as the main event, like fireworks during another celebration.

"Oh, yeah," Johanna replied. "So, any plans before the festival?"

"Mm... Nothing much I guess. I'll go and walk around town for a bit and stuff..." she replied airily. Johanna nodded.

"Well, bye Mom, see 'ya later." Dawn slowly rose from her chair and kissed Johanna on the cheek before going out the front-door. She walked slowly taking in her surroundings as she wandered around aimlessly.

She had only come home yesterday last night, since Ash and Brock – her traveling companions – had gone off in their separate ways. She had come home immediately after the recent Grand Festival – where she reached the Top 2 and lost to another strong opponent – remembering about the festival she had missed a year ago.

She snapped out of her daydreaming as she approached the town's center. A few line of shops and cafés here and there, and a fair amount of people were bustling around, getting ready for the festival tonight. She continued walking and a few minutes after, she arrived at a small field at the edge of town.

A grass covered area was spread out in front of her; a few flowers scattered around the field were swaying in the gentle breeze in sync with the nearby trees. She sighed and laid down on the grass.

This is one of her favorite places in Twinleaf, where she could just lie down and watch the cotton-candy shape clouds lazily. Here, she could clear her thoughts and just relax for a bit. In the hours of dawn, she could watch the sunrise here. But the main reason she loved this place dearly was because she had met one her closest friends here. She dwelled on that particular memory as she closed her eyes.

_"But Mommy! I don't wanna stay here! I wanna go back to Daddy!" a young blue-haired girl yelled as tears flowed freely down her cheeks._

_"Dawn, honey, we can't go back to your... Daddy now," her mother, Johanna, tried to explain gently._

_"But I _miss _Daddy! I. Wanna. Go. HOME!" she cried angrily. She and her mother had recently moved to Twinleaf Town after her parent's divorce. She didn't know the full story, since her parents decided that she shouldn't take that much emotional stress at such a young age. Unfortunately for them, Dawn had always been a girl who demanded answers._

_"Why can't we go home!" Johanna sighed frustratingly. She looked at her daughter with serious eyes. Dawn's crying lessened a little, but she still wanted an answer to her question._

_"Dawn. Your Daddy and... I have come to the decision that we c-couldn't b-be together anymore." It was still painful to talk about their recent family problem. _

_Dawn's father, Gerard, had been recently so engrossed with his work that he artfully neglected his duties as a father to his daughter and a husband to his wife. One time he had been asked by Johanna to take a break and bond with family, he snapped. He went on a small tantrum and started yelling about how Johanna and Dawn had been a hindrance in his work and personal business. This was the last straw for Johanna. She filed a divorce case, and here they are._

_"But Mommy... Don't you love Daddy anymore?" Dawn asked sadly. Fresh tears were coming out from her eyes, but she made no attempt to stop them._

_"I – He – I loved your Daddy, Dawn. But it's just too much for me to handle." She sat down on the living room couch and explained everything to Dawn as gently as possible._

_"I... understand, Mommy. Daddy loved work more than us..." Dawn concluded. Johanna nodded._

_"I'm sorry you had to go through this, Dawn."_

It still saddened her about the fact that her own father had prioritized his work more than them, but she learned to cope. But there's more. A few days after moving, she had another problem to solve. Adjusting.

_"But what if nobody likes me?" Dawn asked worriedly as she grasped her mother's hand tightly. A small building can be seen nearby with a sign bearing the words:_

The Twinleaf Academy

_Your child's well-being is our main goal..._

_"Don't worry, Dawn. Everybody will like you, okay?" Johanna said reassuringly. Dawn nodded and walked towards the entrance. A young woman in her late twenties stood near the door. She smiled gently at Dawn and led her in._

_"Okay class!" she said in an unusually high pitched voice, "You have a new classmate. Now, be nice to her and make her feel welcome, okay?"_

_"Yes, Teacher Kathy," the students chanted as they looked at Dawn curiously._

_"Now, why don't you introduce yourself, dear," Teacher Kathy suggested._

_"O-okay," Dawn replied nervously. "Um... M-my name is Dawn Summers and I used to live in Goldenrod City in Johto. I live with my Mommy and we have a pet Glameow at home." She smiled shyly and waved._

_"Hi Dawn!" the class chanted happily, eager to meet a new classmate. Teacher Kathy smiled. _

_"Okay, Dawn. How about you sit there with... Leona." She pointed towards the table nearest to the window, where a young female brunette smiled up at her and waved._

_Dawn took her place and sat there quietly for the rest of the class._

That was the time she met Leona. She had been very encouraging back then, but she moved away as they grew up. Then, there's Kenny...

_She walked around the town center as Johanna picked up some dry-cleaning. She soon arrived at a small field, where the grass and flowers were glistening with dew drops._

_"Wow! Look at the pretty flowers!" a young blue haired girl yelled happily as she ran around the field. She laughed gaily as she let her hair be blown freely by the mildly strong breeze. She laid down on the grass and stared at the clouds for a bit._

_"Oh! Hi!" Another voice, this one a completely unfamiliar, made her sit up quickly._

_"What? Who?" she asked confusedly. She came face to face with another brunette, this one a boy. She noticed that he looked strikingly like Leona._

_"Um... Hi! I'm Kenny! You are? Oh, wait, don't tell me! Um... Dawn, right?"_

_"Y-yeah... How did you know my name?"_

_"I'm one of you classmates in school!" Kenny said brightly. He stood up and offered his hand to her. She took it and heaved herself up._

_"Kenny, right?"_

_"Mhm."_

_"Okay, Kenny. What are you doing here?" she asked._

_"Um... Well, I just go here to think and stuff."_

_"Think?"_

_"Yep. I come here when I'm lonely, or sad or angry." He sighed._

_"Oh. I guess this is a great place to go to..." Dawn agreed. Both of them laid down on the grass and watched the clouds roll slowly by._

_"Dawn? I have a question," Kenny said._

_"Okay."_

_"How come you didn't mention your dad this morning?" Kenny was partially surprised by how well he remembered what Dawn had said this morning._

_"My Daddy isn't with us anymore." She was confused. She wondered why in the world was she opening up to someone she barely knew anything about. Yet, she couldn't help but say more. "He and my Mommy separated because he didn't love us anymore."_

_"Oh. I'm sorry. My Daddy's gone too... He had to leave us for a trip, but he got into an accident and he–" He broke off in mid-sentence, since he didn't really enjoy talking about his father._

_"Oh, I see... Hmm..." She thought about her dad more, and the memory of him was painful._

_"You're crying," Kenny said worriedly. Dawn touched her cheeks with her left hand and felt that they were wet. She wiped them hastily and croaked, "No, I'm not."_

_"Yeah, you are. Don't worry. It's okay to cry. I cry a lot too..." Kenny said absentmindedly as he looked at the clouds._

_"You know, you're the first person that I really talked about my Daddy with," Dawn noted._

_"You too. I've never told anybody about my Daddy." Kenny sighed again. _

_"I wish he didn't have to go," said Dawn._

_"Me too. But we still have each other..." Kenny started, "and our mommies, of course!" Kenny added hastily. He felt weird around this girl._

_"Yeah..." Dawn felt weird too. But it didn't matter since she has just found a friend. One that will always be by her side, although she didn't know back then..._

"Huh... I wonder how Kenny's doing?" Dawn asked herself. She stood up slowly and checked her pink Pokétch. _12 PM. Already! _Dawn thought, surprised at how time flew by so quickly. _I'd better get back before Mom gets worried._

She walked briskly away from the field and ran towards town. She noticed that there were more people running around here and there, trying to get everything ready for tonight's festival. She dodged the large crowd of people and navigated herself towards the path to her house, trying to get there as fast as she could without hurting herself or any of the other people there.

She came out alive, fortunately, and walked home. She rung the door bell and soon she was greeted by Johanna. She ate lunch – which was fried chicken and ice-cream for dessert. She went up to her room after reminding her mom to wake her up at around four-thirty to prepare for the festival. Honestly, she didn't feel sleepy at all, but she needs some time alone for a bit – although she had no idea why.

She slammed the door behind her and flopped down on her pink bed. She stared around the room – pink as well – and decided to let some of her Pokémon out for a bit of fresh air. She grabbed a small yellow backpack from her bedside drawer and pulled out three Poké Balls. She mumbled, "Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, come on out." A beam of red light appeared from the open Poké Balls and soon her first three Pokémon materialized on her bed. They cried their names and looked at their Trainer.

"Just some fresh air, you guys. Say... would you like to watch a festival tonight?" she asked the three. Her Pokémon looked confused.

"I forgot that you didn't know... Well, the annual Twinleaf Shooting Star Festival is a festival where we can watch shooting stars at night. There's also a feast and celebration. It's tonight, and it would be beautiful," she ended her brief explanation only to see that her Pokémon were smiling with misty eyes. They nodded excitedly, crying out their names in approval.

"Okay. Well, why don't you get some sleep for a while. You guys look a bit tired." Dawn winked at them and soon they were snuggled beside Dawn on her bed. Meanwhile, Dawn was lost in thought. She remembered Kenny, Leona, Ash, Brock, even Pikachu. She missed them. She was also thinking about what she should do now. Her first Grand Festival and she came as second. Sure, she was proud of that feat – a Coordinator for only around a few months and she came so near to winning the Ribbon Cup.

"Good. So now what do we do while wait– Huh?" Dawn looked around the room. Her Pokémon looked at her inquiringly.

"I thought I heard something..." She strained her ears to hear an odd sound again. A few seconds past and she was starting to think she imagined it.

"Never mi–"

"Empoleon, come on!" a male voice cried. She ran to her window and looked around, but she couldn't find the source of the voice. _I was _sure _that was Kenny's voice. Great, just great. Now that I'm thinking so much about them, I'm hallucinating... _She turned around and saw that her Pokémon were looking at her worriedly. She flashed them a peace sign and said her signature quote.

"No need to worry, you guys." She smiled and flopped down on her bed again, this time being careful not to accidentally squish her first three Pokémon. She closed her eyes and sighed, before falling into a deep sleep.

"...DAWN!" Dawn screamed as she awoke with a start. She glanced at her Pokétch and saw that it was 4:20 PM. Her eyes widened as she quickly returned her confused Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls and rushed to her bedroom mirror to comb her hair hastily. After that confusing routine, she ran the stairs two steps at a time, and landed in front of Johanna, panting.

"Oh, good. You're awake. I got everything set up, so we can get to the lake now." Dawn straightened up and saw that Johanna was holding two baskets, one with food, and the other with whatever else they needed.

"I also brought the camera, just in case." Johanna indicated a small Canon camera in the left pocket of her jeans.

"Just... in... case?" Dawn asked.

"You know... lovely view and such." Johanna said airily. Dawn let it slide when she remembered the time.

"Oh my gosh! Mom, we've gotta go...!"

Mother and daughter ran as fast as they could – or at least, Dawn did – towards the entrance of Lake Verity. When they arrived, they were lucky enough to see that there weren't much people there yet. A few people – more or less 20 – were walking around here and there, preparing the area where the feast was going to be held. A few children were playing in the shallow area of the lake, their parents watching.

Dawn walked around, admiring the lake, while Johanna went off to find a spot where they could watch. She walked around aimlessly (again) and soon she was at the edge of the lake. She sighed. _I wish everybody else could see this. __Her thoughts jumped to Kenny for the third time that day. _

_He was always the one who cheered her up whenever Leona wasn't around, and she remembered feeling devastated when she found out that Kenny was leaving once he turned ten. She remembered how she would become flustered when seeing him, but once she hears Dee-Dee being used, everything becomes like a childhood memory being reenacted. Dee-Dee. She never really liked that nickname, but once Kenny uses it, she couldn't help but smile. This was too confusing. They had been together for a very long time, and developed a bond closer that siblings. __Unbeknownst to her, their relationship was even closer than her and Leona's. _

"Dawn...?" a voice behind her asked.

"Who?" Dawn turned around and saw a brunette with light-blue eyes around her mother's age, smiling at her.

"Aw, looks like Dawn doesn't remember her Aunt Keira," the woman said. Dawn's confused frown turned into a smile.

"Oh! Aunt Keira! It's so good to see you again!" Dawn cried out as she hugged Keira tightly. To her, Keira was like her second mother. What's more, she was Kenny's mom.

"So good to see you again too, Dawn. My have you grown!" Keira exclaimed as Dawn released herself from the hug.

"It's been too long since I've seen you, dear. Well, I've got to rush somewhere. We can catch up later," Keira said before she ran back to the area where the food was being prepared.

"B-but wait! I –" Dawn's sentence was left hanging. "Oh..." Dawn sighed and started walking again. She got tired soon after and so she released her Pokémon. In a flash of red light, Cyndaquil, Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Togekiss and Mamoswine appeared. Piplup, Buneary and Pachirisu looked excited while the rest looked confused. They each chirped their names as a form of question.

"Oops, sorry, you didn't know. Well, tonight, were going to watch shooting stars!" Dawn explained. The rest of her Pokémon cried out excitedly and ran to the lake to play. Dawn watched them fondly.

"Dee-Dee?" a voice asked behind her.

"Don't call me Dee-Dee," Dawn yelled angrily as she turned around. "How many times do I have to tell yo – Oh? K-Kenny!"

"How're you doing, Dee-Dee?" Kenny, her brunette childhood friend, was there. Actually, _there. _

"Wh-what are y-you doing here!" Dawn stammered. She was utterly confused.

"What? Am I not allowed to go to my favorite festival here?" Kenny asked as he rolled his eyes.

"O-of course, not! S-sorry, I was just surprised, that's all..." Dawn laughed nervously to hide her embarrassment. Kenny shook his head. Soon there was an awkward – or awkward for Dawn, at least – silence between them.

"So... how's life?" Dawn asked lamely. She had to do something to break the silence.

"Well, I've been going around the region training an' such. Last you saw me was the time I was with Jasmine. I got to go with her too Johto for a while and all, but nothing compares to good ol' Sinnoh..."

"True. True." Dawn stayed quiet for a bit, and then looked at her Pokétch. 5:30 PM.

"Oh, wow! An hour already!" Dawn exclaimed in surprise. "So then, it must be time for the feast."

"You're right, look!" Kenny pointed to the other side of the lake, where the guests seem to be gathering at the same area. "We'd better get there!" Dawn quickly returned her Pokémon in the Poké Balls in the meantime.

Both Coordinators ran to the said area and soon, they were "reunited" with their respective mothers.

"Oh?" Johanna asked as she saw Kenny. "Well, well. Keira, I didn't know Kenny was here." Together the four sat on the grass and ate the delicious food.

"S-sorry. Slipped my mind to tell you," Keira said apologetically. She chewed her meal slowly, and soon small talk ensued. Around thirty minutes passed and soon, all the food was gone.

"Attention guests. The shooting stars can be seen in half-an-hour according to the crew. Please wait for a while... Thank you!" a loud voice boomed from out of nowhere. Kenny stretched as he stood up.

"Where are you going?" Dawn and Keira asked in unison. Kenny shrugged.

"Just a walk around and all. I can't stand just sitting here and doing nothing." He walked away from the group. Dawn looked confused before deciding to follow him – but not before letting her Pokémon out and leaving them with Johanna.

"Hey! Wait," Dawn cried out before catching up to Kenny. They walked in silence, before Kenny asked a question.

"Mm, Dee-Dee?" Kenny started. "What will you wish for?"

"For you to stop calling me, Dee-Dee," Dawn said jokingly. She started giggling.

"Oh, haha." Kenny rolled his eyes.

"What about you then?" Dawn asked curiously.

"Um... well, I – I would wish for, uh... You first!" Kenny said hastily.

"Me? Well, normally, I would wish to become the World's Top Coordinator someday," Dawn started. Kenny nodded knowing that he would probably wish for that too now that he thought about it. "But..." Dawn continued, "Where's the challenge in that? I mean, if you could get it that way, no hard-work or anything, what's the point, right?"

"True. So what would you wish for?"

"I would wish for a night like this every day. Although I would want all my friends to be there with me." Dawn looked around. The stars shone brightly in the heavens above, and down here, everything seemed so calm and perfect. She could hear the soft cries of nocturnal Pokémon, and the breeze was refreshing and wonderful.

"Yeah. I guess..." Kenny said quietly. He looked at Dawn, deep in thought. Dawn didn't notice this though.

"Well? What about you then...? What would you wish for?" Dawn asked curiously.

"I can't tell you..." Kenny said so quietly that Dawn had to strain her ears to understand.

"Why?"

"It's... personal."

"Aw, come on. I won't laugh! Promise."

"Well, there's this... person... and..." Once again, just like before during the day they met, they were opening up to each other, although they initially thought they didn't want to.

"A person...? Or a- a g-girl?" Dawn croaked. She had absolutely no idea why she jumped to that theory, but something in her wanted to know.

"Y-yeah," Kenny stammered, blushing lightly. He directed his gaze to the sky and took a deep breath. "This person – er, girl, is someone I've known for like, forever and all... But..."

Dawn felt something inside her shatter. "O-oh..." was all she managed to say. She wanted Kenny to stop talking now. But he didn't

"But I think I like more as a friend and... all, but she might not..." he trailed off. He looked at Dawn again. "Y-you're crying."

"N-no I'm not." She hastily tried to wipe her tears off with the back of her hand. Kenny grabbed her hand slowly and brought it down from her face. He didn't let go.

"Yes you are. Why? Don't worry. I won't laugh," Kenny said softly. He smiled at her and wiped on stray tear away on her cheek with one hand.

"I – I – I don't know..." Dawn said quietly. She didn't know why she was crying or why she ever cared if Kenny liked someone. All she knew was she didn't like it.

"Shh... Come on, don't cry," Kenny said comfortingly. He never did like it when Dawn cried. She was always so fragile when she was young, he knew. But that was why he liked her so much. She was never afraid to show her weaknesses, but she could stay strong enough to take it. He hugged her. Dawn didn't notice this since she was deep in thought. It all snapped. She... likedKenny. Wait, more than that. _She loved him. _That's why she couldn't accept the fact that Kenny liked someone.

"I – Who do you like then?" Dawn croaked. Kenny released her from the hug and held her by the shoulder.

"If I t-told you, will you stop crying?" Kenny asked as he pushed her down gently so she could sit on the grass.

"Mhm," she lied. If she found out who he liked, her heart would get shattered more. But she had to stay strong.

"I'll give you hints." Kenny let go of her and sat down beside her. "She was my best friend ever. I've known for the longest time. Come to think of it, she was my first close friend."

Dawn stayed quiet. Who had he known before her? His first close friend. She didn't know.

"She was always strong, and she never liked letting anyone else see her cry. The day we met, I told her about my dad. I didn't know why I told her that, I just did. She didn't have a dad too..." Kenny sighed. _This girl... She's kinda like me... _Dawn thought.

"When I turned ten, I picked Piplup as my starter, and you know what? She chose Piplup too, when she turned ten. She's a Coordinator. I battled her during her second Contest. And you know what happened? She won. Her Piplup against my Prinplup. Of course, I felt sad I couldn't win, but... it didn't matter. That was where she won her first ribbon. Come to think of it, that was the first time I've ever seen her wear a dress." He chuckled.

"What does she look like?" Dawn asked. She couldn't help but think that it was her he was talking about. But she wouldn't let her hopes soar too high to just get them thrown down again.

"She has blue hair, kinda like you. And for me, she has the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen." _This is it..._

"You know who she is yet?" Kenny asked Dawn. She stayed silent. Kenny frowned. _Oh well..._

Then it happened. Millions of fiery balls streaked through the sky, and there was a chorus of "Woah..."-s from the crowd near-by.

"Time to make a wish..." Dawn mumbled. "I wish..." she trailed off, not saying her wish aloud. "So who's the lucky girl?" Dawn asked nervously. She looked to her side and saw that Kenny wasn't there anymore. Someone hugged her from behind.

"_You... I love you, Dawn._" She didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Me too... I love you too..."

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**Reika's Notes:**

There! How was it? Hope it was good enough to fill-up the missing gap for Lumière de Diamants. Thanks!

**Specific Notes:**

**_Melisa_**_: Hey! How was it? Did I get everything (typos) right? I didn't go all out and change the whole thing, since that's a bit much... I do hope the typos – or at least, most of 'em – corrected. Tell me in PM form if I didn't... Okay? Thanks for helping me with all the advice! Appreciated it a bunch! Good luck with your fics too!_

_**Joanna**: Joanna! Shiina! Whatever! How was it! Did you like! I hope so.

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**Thank you for taking your time in reading this. Hope I didn't waste any of your precious time. Life's too short to be wasted. Bye~**

**Raizza C.**

**Reika S.**

**Hermione Misty Sonezaki**

**ReiKasuMadoka**

**And remember...**

**Axel Blaze rocks!**


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